Kwame Kilpatrick Found Guilty in Federal Trial

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was found guilty today of multiple counts of racketeering and extortion in a federal court, the Huffington Post reports.

A jury took 15 days to decide that Kilpatrick and his friend contractor Bobby Ferguson were guilty of governmental malfeasance . Kilpatrick’s 71-year-old father, Bernard Kilpatrick, wasÂ found guilty of one tax count. They won’t be sentenced for several months

Mayor Dave Bing told the Huffington Post, “I am pleased that this long trial has ended and we can finally put this negative chapter in Detroit’s history behind us. It is time for all of us to move forward with a renewed commitment to transparency and high ethical standards in our City government.â€

Kilpatrick stepped down as mayor of Detroit in 2008 after pleading guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice related to a text message sex scandal with a former employee. He served about a year in jail for the crime and agreed to pay the city of Detroit $1 million in restitution.